Miami Marlins Prospects: No. 9 Avery Romero

By Ryan Gaydos

Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins have a lot of great prospects, but second baseman Avery Romero is one to really focus on in the coming years. Romero is part of the cream of the crop infielders the Marlins have in the farm system and will be on the diamond one day with third baseman Colin Moran. For now, though, Romero is progressing in the minor leagues.

In 2013, the 20-year-old spent his time at the Lower-A level with Batavia and Greensboro. He batted .276/.341/.391 with 35 RBI. The statistic that really stood out the most to me was his ability to hit doubles. In his 65 games in the minors, Romero recorded 19 doubles with 18 of them coming at Batavia and only one with Greensboro in the nine games he played for the Grasshoppers.

Romero does not have that much speed as he does not steal bases at all — only three in 2013. His range factor at second base increased to 4.55 in 2013, and he will need to work on his ground ball handling as he gets older. His 12 errors is not something to be proud of, but because he is still very young and has a lot of upside, Romero will be at second base sooner than later.

Romero has the ability to hit the gaps and showed that dramatically in high school which is why he was chosen in the third round by the organization. If he can continue to harness that power, Romero can quickly become a dangerous top-of-the-lineup hitter for the team in the future.

Ryan Gaydos is an MLB columnist for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.